THEME = movie tunes: ‘8 Mile’ & ‘9 to 5’
This week’s entry features songs from Eminem & Dolly Parton….
#1 ‘8 Mile’
Mostly written during the filming, “Lose Yourself” quickly became the voice of this movie. Released 10/28/2002 as the 1st single from the soundtrack, this song claimed #1 on the Billboard Hot 100 & reached #4 on the R&B charts. Internationally, it reached the top of 20 more charts, while reaching the Top 10 of 4 additional charts. Critically acclaimed, this song won the Best Original Song Academy Award, becoming the 1st rap song to receive it. Since, this song has been covered by various artists & featured in many different ways.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bmXumtgwtak
FYI: this film entered theaters 11/08/2002 (just before my 01/06/2003 open heart surgery) to critical acclaim & scored well at the box office. Written by Scott Silver & directed by Curtis Hanson, this rap biopic’s title is taken from 8 Mile Road, which follows the border between lower class Detroit MI neighborhoods & upper class Oakland & Macomb County suburbs. Filmed predominately in & around Detroit, the movie’s cast includes Eminem, Mekhi Phifer, Brittany Murphy, Kim Basinger, Taryn Manning, Michael Shannon, Evan Jones, Omar Benson Miller, De’Angelo Wilson, Eugene Byrd, Anthony Mackie, Xzibit, Craig Chandler, Obie Trice, Chloe Greenfield & John Singleton.
#2 ‘9 to 5’
Dolly Parton wrote & recorded “9 to 5” for the movie, & the song became 1 of her biggest hits of the decade (& 1 of my favorites of hers). This single debuted 11/29/1980, spent 14 weeks on the country charts & claimed #1; it crossed over & claimed #1 on the Billboard Hot 100 for 2 straight weeks. Additionally, it won the Country Song & Country Female Vocal Grammy Awards.
FYI: this movie hit theaters 12/19/1980 & was an instant success. Written by Patricia Resnick & Colin Higgins (who also directed), this film was based on an idea of Jane Fonda, who was inspired by a friend of hers who started a company in Boston MA called Nine-To-Five, an association of women office workers. Fonda originally envisioned the movie as a drama, but considering it sounded a bit too preachy & she wanted to work with Lily Tomlin, it was turned into a comedy. Filming locations include 10431 Bellagio Rd (Bel Air, Los Angeles CA) & the Pacific Financial Center (for the Consolidated offices), 800 W 6th St, S Flower St, Los Angeles CA. The cast includes Fonda, Tomlin, Parton, Dabney Coleman, Sterling Hayden, Elizabeth Wilson, Henry Jones, Lawrence Pressman, Marian Mercer, Ren Woods, Norma Donaldson, Roxanna Bonilla-Giannini, Peggy Pope, Richard Stahl, Ray Vitte & Jeffrey Douglas Thomas. A short-lived TV series aired on ABC (1982-1983) featuring Rachel Dennison, Rita Moreno & Valerie Curtin; a 2nd series aired 1986-1988 with Sally Struthers replacing Moreno. A broadway musical was done in 2009.